CH. 2
The entire herd stands in shock. Louis faints and Peaches tries to wake him up.
"ME?" Manny exclaims very loudly.
"Yes, you," answers Tyson.
"Why... Why would I turn evil and take over the island?" asks Manny.
"That's what I'd like to know," replies Tyson.
"So, you came back because you think that the Manny of now can defeat the evil Manny of the future?" questions Diego.
"Yes. After all, who's better at defeating someone than themselves?"
Louis, now awake, says, "So, to fight him, we're going to have to go to the future, right? How will we do that?"
"The same way I got here. A wormhole," replies Tyson.
"You came through a hole in the ground?" asks Crash, Eddie, and Sid.
"Uh, no. A wormhole is a break in time that connects two distant time periods." answers Tyson.
"So, where is this wormhole?" asks Ellie.
"It's on the north side of the island, in a tree in a clearing. To use it, you just have to touch a particular part on a branch." answers Tyson.
"When do we leave?" questions Shira.
"As soon as possible, I say, so maybe-" Tyson states, but is cut off by Manny.
"Wait. Who said anything about going?" asks Manny.
"Dad! We have to help the future us stop the future you," says Peaches, who silently adds, "Weirdest sentence I've said in my life."
"If you don't come, you'll turn evil and take over the island," replies Tyson. "If you do come, we might be able to figure out why you turn evil and prevent it from happening."
Manny waits before replying, "Fine, but if things get dangerous, Peaches sits out."
"Dad! Let me fight!" Peaches says.
"We need all the help we can get." adds Tyson.
"Alright, you can help. But you better not get hurt." Manny answers.
"Yes!" exclaims Peaches.
"Now, as I was saying, we leave after lunch. I suggest you all say goodbye to friends outside the herd before then."
As the herd starts to leave, Tyson remembers, "Oh, one more thing. In a few years, Sid's granny dies, and I think it would be best to leave her behind, because seeing his grandmother for only a few days would probably send Sid into another state of depression. What do you think?"
Manny looks around and sees the entire herd nodding yes except Sid, but Manny replies, "If you think it's best, she stays behind," ignoring Sid's crestfallen face, before adding, "And does anyone know where she's been all this time?"
"PRECIOUS!" Granny yells as she walks along the seashore. The giant whale hops out of the ocean and Granny climbs into his mouth. "Take me for a ride, Precious!" Granny says as the whale dives underwater.
"Hey Ethan!" Peaches yells when she sees the mammoth walking along the beach.
"Peaches!" Ethan replies. "What happened yesterday? I found the ice, but you and Louis weren't there.
"We jumped off before we hit a tree. After that, a human walked up and told us-"
"Wait. The human spoke?"
"Yes."
"How?"
"Well, he claims to have come from the future. He said my herd adopted him and his brother and he learned how to speak from us."
"He came from the future? How is that possible?"
"He says he came through a wormhole. But the most shocking thing is why he came back in time."
"Why?"
"He said that in the future, my dad becomes an evil overlord with a small army at his command."
"Your dad? Evil? Why would he do that?"
"Tyson- that's the human, by the way- says that he doesn't even know. He came back to ask my dad and the herd to help fight my future dad. He says no one can beat someone better than themselves."
"Wait- you are leaving to go to the future? When?"
"Today, after lunch. That's what I wanted to see you about. I wanted to say goodbye before I go, since I might not be coming back, and..." Peaches is abruptly stopped when Ethan suddenly kisses her.
On the lips.
Shocked at first, Peaches eventually falls into their first kiss, which lasts for a few seconds.
"Take that as my goodbye, hope to see you again present."
"Ethan..."
"I'll miss you while you're gone, Peaches."
"I'll miss you too Ethan... When I come back, do you, maybe, want to go out?"
"I'd love too."
"See you when I get back!"
"See you then, as well!"
"Bye!"
"Bye!" When Peaches is out of hearing range, she quietly adds, "I love you..."
Louis watches with a sad expression as Ethan kisses Peaches, and then agrees to go out with her when she gets back.
If only he had told her, then maybe he would be going on a date with Peaches after the adventure, not Et-
"Oomph!" Louis groans as another molehog suddenly falls on top of him.
"Oops! Sorry about that! I was just running to get berries off that bush over there, and then I accidentally walk into you..."
Louis cannot help but stare at this new molehog as she talks to him. Her light brown fur reflecting the sunlight is just so...
"Why are you staring at me? Do I have something in my fur?" the molehog asks.
"Oh...no... but... your fur is cute," Louis states.
"Aww, thank you! My name is Ginny, by the way."
"My name is Louis. See you around, I guess?"
"See you around. Bye!"
"Bye!" Louis says as Ginny burrows away.
'Ginny. That's a nice name.' Louis thinks. 'Maybe Peaches going out with Ethan won't be such a bad thing.'
Diego and Shira are in the woods sharing a freshly caught gazelle.
"Is it just me, or is this gazelle better than the last few have been?" Diego asks.
"Probably because it's the last you'll have in this time period for a while," Shira answers.
"I don't think it works that way."
"It doesn't taste any different to me."
Diego stares at the meat for a few seconds before replying, "Maybe I'm just going crazy."
"I'm surprised you're the one saying that, not me," Shira replies.
"Me too... or am I?" Diego says, jokingly.
"That proves it."
"Or does it?"
Yes it does."
Diego pauses a moment before responding, "We're both crazy."
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's just you."
"But, we're both following a talking human into a future in which our friend is an evil overlord."
Shira stares at Diego a moment before answering, "That settles it. Neither of us are crazy; we're both insane."
"Or are we?"
"Shut up."
"Or should I?"
"Want me to make you?"
"I'll shut up."
"Or will I?"
Manny and Ellie are enjoying a nice array of fruits near the waterfall.
"So, do you still have your doubts about this Tyson kid?" Ellie asks.
"Very much so. I mean, his story is so unbelievable. Ten years in the future, I lead an evil army while in control of the island, and put you guys in mortal danger? Not me," Manny replies.
"You sure acted like you believed him around Ty."
"Like I'm letting him know I'm skeptical."
"If what he says is true, he's probably already figured that out."
"That's if he's telling the truth, which I believe he is not."
Both mammoths look over to see a mammoth going down the waterfall on a chunk of ice, but landing successfully at the bottom, unlikely Peaches and Louis.
"I sure hope Peaches hasn't done that," Manny states.
"Come on, he acted like it was fun."
Manny and Ellie see another mammoth go down the falls, before sliding off onto land in the same manner as Peaches and Louis.
"Still look like fun?" Manny says before rushing to try and stop the ice. He catches up with the ice and puts his tusks on the front edge of the ice, pushing him backward, but successfully slowing down and stopping the ice before it collides with something.
The mammoth pants rapidly before saying, "Thank you, sir."
"Ethan?"
"Peaches' dad?"
"What were you doing on the waterfall?"
"It's a ride we came up with a few days ago; I was trying to figure out what went wrong in Peaches and Louis' accident yesterday... Uh oh..."
"Peaches rode that? And there was an accident?"
"What kind of accident?" Ellie asks.
"The same thing that just happened to me. Peaches jumped before she hit a tree, and wasn't harmed."
"Why didn't she tell us?" Manny questions.
"It seems a lot less dangerous than the future you guys are going to."
"How did you know about that?"
"Peaches told me when she was saying goodbye, and then I kissed her, and she asked me out on a date..." Ethan replies in a trance-like state.
"YOU KISSED PEACHES?" Manny explodes.
"Ooh! Peaches' first kiss! So exciting!" Ellie exclaims.
"AND SHE ASKED YOU OUT ON A DATE?"
"I said way too much, didn't I?"
"No you said just enough," Manny replies. "Why did you kiss Peaches? And she didn't even ask if she could date you."
"The time was perfect for one, Peaches was ranting on, and I just... went for it," Ethan says. "And Peaches is the one that brought up the date... Even though I probably would've asked if she didn't..."
"Come on, Manny, let her go. She's 16, nearly 17, and this is her first date. Besides, I think they really like each other," Ellie states.
"Fine. But I don't want to see any kids until she's at least 21."
"It's our first date, not marriage. That won't happen for a long time."
"It better not."
"Thank you, sir, for letting me date your daughter."
"You are welcome. And take good care of her, too."
"You have my word."
"Now, to talk to Peaches about this..."
Back at the tree, the entire herd is gathered (except Granny, of course) and is ready to go to the future.
"Are we all set to go?" Tyson asks.
"Me and Ellie would like to talk to Peaches first," Manny says, "in private."
"Sure thing, as long as you don't take all day."
"We won't."
Peaches walks behind her parents into the woods, wondering what they want to talk about. Suddenly, she gets the idea that maybe they're not letting her go to the future.
"Please say this isn't about me not going to the future," Peaches says.
"It's not." Manny replies.
"Phew."
"It's about the ice yesterday, and this morning, you and Ethan."
"How did you find out about all that?"
"Ethan had the same ice incident you did, and Manny saved him. After that, he let everything slip," Ellie says.
"Oh no... So now I can't date Ethan, can I?"
"First, we talk about the ice."
"After seeing what happened to Ethan, I'm in agreement with Manny. I don't want you doing that again."
"After what happened, I don't want to do it again."
"Good. Now, onto what happened this morning."
Peaches is waiting to get punished for kissing Ethan and asking him out on a date, but instead, she is surprised to get this:
"Your first kiss! I am so proud of you! How was it?" asks Ellie.
"I have already given Ethan permission to date you. Congratulations," states Manny.
"Really? Thank you dad!" Peaches replies. "Oh, and the kiss was amazing."
"We- well, more Ellie than me, but, anyway- we know how much you like him, and you're nearly 17, and it's your first date, so, as long as I don't see any kids until you're at least 21, you can date Ethan."
"Dad, it's our first date, not marriage," Peaches replies. "We won't have kids for a long time."
"Exactly how Ethan responded. I like it."
"Thank you, dad. I love you guys so much!"
"We love you too, sweetie."
"And we always will, no matter what."
Manny, Ellie, and Peaches return to the herd, Peaches having a huge smile on her face.
"What was that about?" Louis whispers to Peaches.
"They found out about the ice, and what happened this morning with Ethan," Peaches replies. "And guess what? Dad's actually letting me date Ethan! Isn't it great?"
"Congratulations."
"Are you okay, Louis?"
"Yeah, it's just, I kinda had a crush..."
"You had a crush on me?"
"Yeah, but not as much now, after meeting Ginny..."
"Who's Ginny?"
"Just the prettiest molehog in the world."
"Aww! You have a girlfriend too?"
"No, I didn't ask her out on a date. But I might when we come back," Louis replies as another smile grows on Peaches' face.
"Now that that's settled, let's get off to the future," Tyson announces.
As the herd hurries to the north side of the island, Peaches walks up to Tyson and asks, "Wait. When we arrive, are we going to meet our future selves?"
"Of course," Tyson answers.
"Are we all the same as we are now, excluding dad, or have we changed?"
"For the most part, you're all the same, except for that since losing Manny, you've all become more depressed."
"That makes since."
"And there might be a few new members of the herd besides me and Tyrone as well."
"Did Diego and Shira have cubs?"
"One. His name is Antonio, and he is very much like his father, but with fur that matches his mother. When you see him, he'll be about eight. There's another member of the herd, too, though."
"Do I have a new brother or sister?"
"No."
"Did Sid finally get a wife and have a family?"
"Do you really think Sid will ever find a wife?"
"Hey!" Sid yells, suddenly appearing next to them. "I take offense to that."
"Well then, who's the new member?" Peaches says, ignoring Sid completely.
"He's your son, Graham."
"I HAVE A SON?" Peaches yells loud enough for the entire herd to hear her.
"Hold up a second! When did I get a grandson?" Manny asks.
"He's a cute little fella. Three years old, at the time we're going to of course."
"Who's the father?"
"Who do you think?"
"Ethan?"
"Right on the money."
Meanwhile, Manny is in the back, quietly adding, "Her 16 plus 10 equals 26... minus his three equals... 23. Huh. They actually listened to me."
Ellie rolls her eyes.
Back at the front...
"Ooh! I can't wait to meet him!" Peaches squeals.
"Well then, we best get to the wormhole as fast as possible," Tyson states.
About ten minutes later, the herd arrives at a clearing with a large tree in the middle.
"Is that the wormhole?" Peaches asks.
"Yes," Tyson answers.
"I don't mean to alarm anyone, but there is a dead rabbit on the ground over here," Shira mentions.
"You're sure it's dead?" Sid asks.
"Yes, it is dead, Sid," Shira replies.
Tyson then says, "If you didn't get enough lunch, there's a snack."
"That seems a little mean," says Peaches.
"Why? It's already dead. There's nothing we can do to change that."
"But how did it die?" Manny asks.
"It looks like..." Shira then pauses, "It was stabbed in the heart with a knife."
"Who would do such a thing?" Peaches asks.
Shira waits a few seconds before replying, "It looks like Squint's victims did on the ship..."
"But, it couldn't be him. He died with the crew six months ago," Diego states.
"We think." Shira answers.
"Let's just get to the future. We have much more important matters waiting for us there," Tyson says.
"Okay then. Lead the way," Ellie says.
Tyson and the herd walk up to the tree. Tyson finds a large circle carved into the tree and presses on it. Suddenly, a thick batch of fog rolls in.
"Is that supposed to happen?" asks Manny.
"It did when I came here," replies Tyson.
Suddenly, a circular piece of land (with the tree in the middle and the herd standing on it) rises up from the Earth. It starts to slowly turn before everything goes black. In ten years (to the herd, it feels like a few seconds), the herd arrives at their destination. They get up, as the sudden movement caused them all to fall down, and look at their surroundings. It looks a lot like the place they just left, except that everything has a dark aura to it.
"Welcome to the future."
